Mayor Rahm Emanuel today said President Barack Obama should stick with Joe Biden as his running mate amid largely Republican calls for a change on the Democratic ticket because of comments Biden made to a Virginia audience that a GOP financial plan would "put y'all back in chains."

"No," Emanuel said when asked whether Obama should change his running mate.

"Vice President Joe Biden serves the president well, has and will continue to," the mayor said. "That's not my choice. That's the president's choice. But I believe Joe Biden has been a good vice president."

Biden's statement to an audience that included many African-Americans sparked a strong Republican response, with some critics saying it amounted to playing the race card.

The Obama campaign has called the Republican response hypocritical.

Before launching into his defense of Biden, Emanuel, Obama's former chief of staff who is serving as a surrogate for his former boss in the campaign, said today he doesn't plan to comment on every development in the presidential contest.